Two-Time Super Bowl Winning Miami Dolphins Linebacker Dead at 76

Former Miami Dolphins linebacker Mike Kolen, nicknamed "Captain Crunch" for his hard-hitting tackling style, died on Wednesday at the age of 76.

Kolen played eight seasons with the Dolphins from 1970 to 1977 and won two back-to-back Super Bowls. He was also famously part of the team's undefeated 1972 season, which to this day remains NFL's only unbeaten Super Bowl champion.

His passing was announced by his alma mater Auburn University, where he led the Tigers in tackles in 16 out of the 25 games he started from 1967 through 1969. He earned All-SEC honors as a junior and senior, and in 1985 was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. After graduating from Auburn, Kolen was selected by Miami in the 12th round of the 1970 NFL Draft.

But even after embarking on his NFL career, for decades Kolen would return to Auburn each spring to present the Mike Kolen Award at A-Day, which honored the team's leading tackler from the previous season.

"It's been a real thrill for me," Kolen said while presenting the award in 2016. "You're congratulating a player from the previous year who had a great impact on Auburn's defensive side of the ball, being the leading tackler. Being there at Auburn, being out on the field, kind of reminds you of some old memories. It's just a really next experience, and something I've thoroughly enjoyed over the years."

Kolen also became the first-ever recipient of the National Christian Athlete of the year Award in 1969, and his faith was important to him.

"Mike Kolen is one of the finest men I've ever known," said former Auburn athletics director and sports information director David Housel in a statement. "Being a football player was secondary to Mike Kolen. He's one of the greatest football players Auburn ever had, but he was much more. A rock, a beacon."

"When I think of Mike Kolen, I think of toughness, competitiveness, and a quality of goodness," he added. "He was a great football player but he was a better man."

After retiring from the NFL in 1977, Kolen found success in real estate, and also owned fitness center and financial service businesses. He's survived by his wife, Nancy, and their two children.